Can noise-cancelling headphones affect your listening skills? Audiologists warn

ANC headphones

Noise cancellation is an important feature we look for when buying a pair of earphones or headphones. It has become so essential that even budget earphones now come with ANC. Needless to say, it's especially useful when you're trying to work in an office full of chatterboxes or traveling on a crowded metro. However, audiologists have noticed a concerning trend with noise-cancelling headphones, and it's not something you’d want to hear about. As per a BBC report, they have found that these headphones might actually be doing more harm than good — especially when it comes to how your brain processes sound.

Let’s break it down–Audiologists, the experts who study hearing, have found out that more and more people — particularly young adults — are coming in for hearing tests, only to find that their hearing is perfectly fine. So what’s the issue? It's their brain’s ability to process sound.

Renée Almeida, an audiologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, told BBC that when you use noise-cancelling headphones too much, you’re not giving your brain the chance to work like it’s supposed to. Normally, your brain sorts through a mix of sounds and decides which ones are important — like someone calling your name or a car honking. But when you block out all the background noise, your brain doesn't get the practice it needs to process those sounds properly.

"It’s not just about hearing things," says Almeida. "It’s about being able to listen and focus on what matters." And that's where the problem lies — your brain might get a little "lazy" without all that background noise to filter through.

Claire Benton, from the British Academy of Audiology, also shared her inputs with BBC. She called noise cancellation a "false environment." Noise-cancelling headphones create a world where you only hear what you want to hear. That might sound nice for relaxation, but Benton says it’s also preventing your brain from doing its job. "You’re not working to separate sounds, which is an important skill for your brain to develop," she explains.

So, what does this mean for young people, especially teens? Benton points out that our brains don’t finish developing the ability to process complex sounds until our late teens. If young people spend too much time in a world where they’re constantly blocking out noise, it could delay their brain’s development — particularly when it comes to understanding speech or focusing in noisy places.

Amjad Mahmood, head of audiology at Great Ormond Street Hospital, has also raised concerns. He told BBC that his clinic is seeing more kids and teens who are struggling to process sounds at school or in social situations. "It’s been a significant increase," he says. So, audiologists are calling for more research to understand how noise-cancelling headphones might be contributing to these issues.

The good news is that audiologists aren’t saying you should stop using noise-cancelling headphones altogether. They just want us to be mindful of how much we’re using them, and when. For example, try using headphones with a "transparency mode" that lets some of the background noise in, so your brain can still get the practice it needs.

Also, if you’re already noticing issues with sound processing, there are ways to improve it. Treatment, like sound training exercises, can help your brain relearn how to filter out unnecessary noise.